List of The Sword and the Staff Mythos and Lore
The World of Helderia in the 2013 episodic adventure series The Sword and the Staff is bristling with history and mythology that scars every location the player shall adventure throughout the series. In the list below is only just a few bits of lore already found within the adventures that require observation to encounter. emperomiguel has suggested that players should rely more towards the lore on the adventures than turning to here for information. What information IS in here; are mostly comprised of Lore that may not have been explained clearly enough during the course of the Adventure Series and thus was left here for players to clarify with it. But all lore and Mythos about The Sword and the Staff can already be found in the adventure series, where it can be better explained or interpreted. Further Information: ''The Sword and the Staff Wiki'' The Alkire Major Spoilers Ahead!!! Thousands of years before the Helderian Kingdoms were even established; there was the Alkire. An ancient race of powerful mages and skillful builders; they would go on to build a majestic Empire that would span across the entire face of Helderia and even some of Kashetta's. There has never been a more powerful and successful people than the Alkire and the wealth of Culture, Knowledge, Conquest, and Economy that they bathed in. In their wealth they grew prideful, in their pride, they grew arrogant, in their arrogance, they grew greedy.... At the height of their Imperial Power they seeked for more even when there was no more to be had. So they started delving deeper with the darker arts of magic; Shadow, in an attempt to create a weapon of mass destruction that would make them near-invincible to anyone that would oppose their rule in the future. They got more than what they bargained for however as their weapon of mass destruction succeeded in it's purpose and effectively brought down the entire Alkirian Empire in one fell swoop. The weapon they built was the Dark Crown, which had the power to unleash the spirits of the seven Hells itself into the world in which they could form a never ending army of Dark Ones. Even at the peak of Empire's strength; the Alkire was powerless to stop the quickening haste of Darkness that covered the lands with ease. Fortunately the Dark Crown's capabilities could only go so far and the user that had worn the Dark Crown was stealthily killed by a group of highly trained Assassins. The Dark Crown was dismantled afterwards and it's pieces was scattered throughout Helderia; to never be found again.... After the destruction left behind by the Dark Crown; came another surprise. A strange blue sentient species had risen out of the water (reference to Spore's creature stage) that could not only speak but were capable of advance thinking. The Alkire saw this as a chance to rebuild and learn from their arrogance by raising a species into civilization, and therefore named these new creatures; "Helderians" in honor of their lands. Their dreams would be shattered a second and final time when the Helderians quickly grew jealous of the Alkire and their success and thus began what would be called "The Great Purge" in which the Helderians hunted down and killed every Alkire they saw on sight. The Alkire fought valiantly against their new aggressors, but not only was their empire already destroyed, but their magic, their source of strength had no effect on the Helderians, and so they were slaughtered left and right till the Alkire breathed no more... The Helderians would grown into power and begin establishing Kingdoms of their own that would span for thousands of years until eventually no Helderian alive would remember the days in which the Powerful Alkire would be snuffed out of existence by the very creatures they willingly took in and raised. Shamans Since the beginning of time itself; shamans have existed to be keepers of the forests, wilds, and the creatures that reside them. Each one tasked to protect a specific species or plant life in order to keep the balance between nature and rising civilizations. Even the Alkire would respect the role of Shamans, and though that understanding would fade over the years as the Alkire grew in power; for the most part; even they would know to not to interfere with the guardians of Mother Earth. When the Dark Crown became active and Darkness covered the lands; the Shamans were one of the most to feel the true impact of it's destruction; as wherever the Dark Ones traveled; the lands would crumble and wither from the taint. The rise of the first Overlord would not only devastate the Alkirian Empire; but would wipe out a horrifying majority of the Shaman population who were powerless to stop the infinite tides of darkness. When the Dark Ones disappeared after the loss of the Dark Crown; the Shamans would have to face a new threat; the ever-ambitious Helderians who settled wherever they wished and raised territories in the places they came to; even ones in vicinity of endangered creatures or plant life, which came into obvious conflict with Shamans who are tasked to protect them. Over time; the Shamans would also be hunted down by aggressive Helderian settlers, until eventually the last of them retreated to the Helikirian Mountains with the one race to still hold respect over them; the Goblins, who were driven up to the mountains by Helderian settlers. To keep balance and civility over the various Shamans trapped in the mountains; they formed a council named "The Circle" an order formed exclusively of Shamans to help plan and build upon a future in which they can finally return to their former homes where they can continue their earthly duties. This would not last long however as the Circle themselves were betrayed by one of their own who would lead an army of Dark Ones into the mountains and desecrate the last of the Shamans and the Goblin Kingdom protecting them. Many imitators or misguided mages would fancy themselves as Shamans, but the truth is; the last of the Shamans were extinguished on that day atop the mountains of the Helikirian. Oracles Just like the Shamans; the Oracles have always had a part in the World and it's shifting times. For as long as there are creatures upon the world; there will always be a story or a tale that will play out. The Oracles have the divine gift of seeing the future before it actually plays out; knowing what events shall take place, the people involved and how their role will affect the shifting and conclusions of these events. However most civilizations who've interacted with them are often skeptical of their predictions as they cannot see past what the present currently shows them, this often results with prophesied events happening anyway and Oracles being discredited simply for being lucky with their guesses. There is only one Oracle per generation and when one dies; another is said to be born with the gift. Stanions have often predicted that the Oracle is a mistress with a never ending life cycle; forever bound to be born and reborn in the bodies of different women, so that she can continue with spinning the never ending tale of the World and it's people. Some scholars have debated the possibility that Spode, Spoda, or one of the Unseen Gods lives on in the bodies of these women; using them like earthly hosts to forever wander in the world they've created and foretelling the events the shall and shan't come to pass. In the more current age of Helderia; the last known Oracle in Helderia's history traveled to Kashetta where she was treated like a guest of honor among the Stanions; eventually it became etched in Stanion tradition to honor the word of these wise women and to always have a place of honor for them in the Stanion Empire. Whatever happened to the Oracles has been left ambiguous in the Helderian Kingdoms. Mages While Shamans have long since protected the earth and Oracles have long been predicting the future of the world; Mages fall in a different category. They have been around since time's beginning; no matter what civilization rules at the time, no matter which race is dominant in the lands; Mages have always had a place in the societies they are born in. Their duties are not entitled to the Earth nor it's prophecies; but to the people that reside upon it. Since the beginning of time; Mages are tasked to protect sentient beings and their civilizations using the unique gifts born to them. From Teachers, Physcians, Advisors, Politicians, Philosophers, and Generals each Mage has a different role to play; but at the end of the day; they all lead up to the same goal; the protection of the people and maintaining the civility and order of all living things. From the beginning of the Alkirian's Imperial rule, to the establishing of Helderia's Kingdoms; Mages shall always have a role to play in watching over the balance of the world and it's inhabitants. What makes Mages stand out from regular men are their natural born gifts of Magic, which can heal or destroy the world around them. These gifts would also make them feared and sometimes hated for their abilities but in times of great distress such as war or famine; there is no easier person to take shelter under, than an experienced Mage. It is never really known why Mages are naturally born with the urge to serve others, but what is clear is that they have the means to help people with gifts that no others possess and are drawn to use their powers to do the job no one else can. Some of the most powerful Mages in recorded history were known to be men of the people; because despite the insurmountable powers within them; they treated others with fairness and kind judgement. Though that isn't to say that it isn't impossible for Rogue mages to exist; in fact for every one noble Mage, will be four pompous, prideful, and sometimes downright tyrannical Mages who abuse and hurt the people of their time. With all the great powers of Magic at the tip of their fingertips; these rogue Mages will abuse the purpose of their gifts to achieve selfish goals, often for greater power. Due to the influx of Rogue Mages in the earlier years of the Helderian's post-purge settlement of the lands; they decided to build new laws to help teach younger generations of mages the responsibilities of Magehood and the proper handling of their power, and so Mage Academies were built throughout Helderia to cater to the youth of the Mage community. Anyone not educated in these institutions would immediately be branded as "Warlocks" and hunted down by Templar Knights or witch burning mobs. Though Rogue Mages tend to cater only to themselves; it isn't uncommon for Rogue Mages to band together to achieve malicious goals; in fact it's a lot more dangerous when they do so. The greatest threat outside of Warlocks are Necromancers; Mages who delve into the fifth and forbidden element; Shadow. Necromancers have been getting a reputation for forming entire Covens in which they could combine their dark powers to achieve truly powerful Shadow spells like summoning entire armies of Undead soldiers that obey their every will. Dragons Before even the Alkire became an empire; the Dragons were the mighty beasts and lords of the infinite skies above; a place where no mortal has ever reached. All creatures of the earth felt their thunderous presence whenever they passed and many a civilization were destroyed by these god-like figures that soared the skies above puny mortal men. Dragons were highly territorial beasts and it wasn't rare for two Dragons to fight in duels to the death simply for flying into one's territory. Over time; the pirde of these majestic beasts would be their downfall as the Dragons fought and killed each other to extinction. Across Helderia and parts of Kashetta; their titanic-like bones still remain in their spot; almost as if marking their territories well past their death. The last known Dragon before their complete extinction was Barthlomos; the Great Shadow Dragon. A full grown beast with wings that spanned entire armadas and a body as large and intimidating as a mountain. After slaying the second-to-last Dragon in existance, Bartholomos proclaimed himself the God of the Skies and celebrated this by laying ruin upon half of the entire Alkirian Empire. In response to the destation; leaders of the Alkire would go on to unite together under one banner to slay the great beast. It would take many years for the Alkire; but eventually they would succeed and bring down the Sky God from his throne above. His flesh would rot over a century until only his blackened bones remained to tell tale of the once unstoppable monstrosity that single handedly brought down the Alkirian Empire to it's knees. His bones still emanates of Dark energy that drives away many people from getting close; for fear he would rise again. Spirit Bonding An ancient Alkirian magical technique that supposedly granted protection from death by bonding the Spirits or souls of two individuals into one powerful being. The trick to this was that when one of the two bonded individuals were to die; they would not completely pass over to their eternal rest (Heaven or the Seven Hells) as they were still technically attached to their bonded partner via the Spirit Bond if said partner was still alive. Thus giving dead partners the chance to return to life and thus preventing Spirit Bonded partners from completely dying until both were dead before the other could return to life. When the Spirits of two individuals were bonded; both parties would receive super natural strength and magical finesse as their Spirits were binded through unity; which was stronger than most living beings upon the earth who only possessed one spirit or one soul. The downside to this ability was if the two individuals were at a great distance from each other; the bind would wane and even greater if one of them should die. At the peak of their imperial rule and occupation of Kashetta; the Alkire delved into deep experimentation with magic of the Spirit World and wanted to understand the nature behind the world beyond the physical realm and so they started constructing temples filled with enchanted water that allow them to keep in touch with the Spirit realm; even going so far as to station some permanent members there to act as guardians over the Spirit and Dream world alike. The Alkire would eventually discover Spirit Bonding through their experiments and utilize them for their best soldiers in times of Conquest or Civil unrest. Important figures such as Generals, Politicians, and Royalty would also be viable for Spirit Bonding as their roles were important to the Alkirian Empire and were worth protecting even from death. Magic There are five elements in Magic; Fire, Ice, Earth, Air, and the fifth is a forbidden element known as Shadow. Mages are born with the natural gift of effecting or outright controlling the five elements and their various uses. Mana - The Lifeblood of any mage; without mana, one cannot utilize the best of their magical abilities. From birth; mages are born with Mana; this often is passed down from one Mage to another through children. Some generations are skipped, but eventually the biological trait of mage blood will be passed on eventually. The most observant mages can also use their mana to create spells made entirely of magical energy; such as magical missiles or sapping energy from attacking foes. Magical Artifacts/Contraptions - As the importance of magic grew within the Kingdoms of Helderia; so did the demand for it to be imbued with everyday mundane objects and such; Enchanting was invented (though not original as the Alkire had done it thousands of years prior) and soon the binding of magic to mundane objects would begin. Staffs would be invented to effectively enhance one's magical abilities, Summoning Circles would help summoning creatures an easier process, Gems could be used like levers, Glyps were essential magical doors that could not be opened by regular keys, and even mundane weapons like swords could be imbued with the magical elements for maximum effect in combat. However with the creation of enchanting; a new malicious possibility had arisen out of the mage community; Curses. Darker mages could imbue mundane objects with the soul of a Demon that could essential effect it's users on a psychological level and in some cases; even worse... Fire - Mages often use this element for aggressive purposes as fire is naturally adapt at causing destruction. The most popular spells associated with this element are summoning Fire Stones or generating Fireballs. More creative mages will be able to use Fire to propel themselves into the air or blast foes with an entire tidal wave made entirely of infernal flames. Ice - A more defensive technique; spells associated with this element often comprise of freezing enemies in place or generating physical barriers made of ice, which can be effectively used as temporary walls or shields. The element of ice also effects water and in the hands of a master; can be used to heal flesh as Helderian bodies are technically made of water. Earth - The element that controls the very world around oneself, one of the most versatile elements among the five. Spells such as summoning animals like wasps, poisoning, and even controlling the minds of enemies who are walking upon the earth, just to demonstrate the many possible uses of the Earth element. More powerful users will be able to shape and shift the ground around them, creating boulders, walls of stone, Ditches, and even connecting the very physical world with the Spirit world to summon creatures from ethereal realms. Air - Though a hard class to master; as most mages are not accustomed to the air anyways (they can't fly) , more dedicated students will still be able to make useful spells with the element of Air if they possess the imagination to make something off their magic. For instance; one could summon a barrier of intense air around oneself like a defensive barrier, or one could control the very skies to unleash lightning upon their opponents. Shadow - The fifth and forbidden art, this was once one of the most popular Elements in the world of magic. The Alkire in the peak of their Imperial strength would often use Shadow to combat enemies of their empire and sometimes they'd experiment with Shadow magic to create terrible weapons of war or devastating malicious magic that left permanent marks on the world. One of the greatest and by far most terrible incantation summoned by Shadow magic was the creation of the Dark Crown; which in turn brought the ruin and destruction of the Alkirian Empire. After the breaking of the Dark Crown; shadow magic was officially banned from open use and would be punishable by death or by imprisonment if practice was discovered. Other infamous spells from Shadow magic are: Necromancy, Hexes, Curses, Draining, and many others. Kyber/Onyx Stones They say when mages die, their essences are kept active by their magic , but because their earthly vessels (bodies) shut down when they die; the magical essences have no focus and wander off to find the nearest Kyber/Onyx Stone which act as storages for what remains of these past mages. The ancient stones were first placed by the Alkire who enchanted these stones with magical energy that would act like beacons for magical essences of deceased mages; so that their powers would not go to complete waste upon death. Current generation mages would draw power from these stones by casting a spell at them, after which they light up and give off a white fog and empower it's caster with an added boost to their current mana by transferring a part of the stone's essence to the user. Through this method; magic will be kept preserved over the users and will only get stronger as the years pass by and the essences of more experienced and advanced mages throughout the generations will help contribute to these stones.